Linen display package



April 30, 1963 M. KESTER LINEN DISPLAY PACKAGE 2 s-sheet 1 Filed De 5'1960 INVENTOR: MELVlN E, KESTER ATTORNEYS April 30, 1963 M. E. KESTERLINEN DISPLAY PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 5, 1960 M ELVlN E.KEsTela, INVENTOR BY a ATTORNEYS United States 3,087,605 LINEN DISPLAYPACKAGE Melvin E. Kester, Charlotte, N.C., assignor to Package ProductsCompany, Inc., Charlotte, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina FiledBee. 5, 1960, Ser. No. 73,750 4 Claims. (Cl. 206-453) This inventionrelates to display packages and, more particularly, to an improvedeconomical package which is self supporting in a variety of positionsfor advantageously displaying decorative linen goods, such as sheets andpillow cases having an attractive design or pattern thereon.

The recent advent of decorative linen articles of the type described andthe present consumer preference that such articles be sold singly,rather than in pairs as heretofore, have created various new andfrequently conflicting problems of packaging and package design. Withdecorative linen articles, far more so than with those of plainercharacter, it is imperative for successful merchandising that theirpackaging render them capable of being advantageously displayed toprospective purchasers. Such displayability first requires that thedecorative article be capable of being viewed within its package. Thisin turn is contingent upon the nature of the various packagingcomponentsfor example, the transparency and size thereof-and therelation of the linen article thereto. Secondly, displayability demandsthat the package itself be capable of being situated in a variety ofpositions either alone or in pleasing arrangement with other similarpackages. These demands, and the packaging problems they created,existed only to a minor extent or not at all with plain linen articles.An additional packaging problem inherent to a greater extent withdecorative linen articles is that of identification. While previously apackage had to provide space merely for indicia denoting the type andsize of the packaged article, additional space for indicia identifyingpattern or design is now also required. The problems associated with theadvent of decorative linen articles have been compounded to a largeextent by the more or less concurrent purchaser demand for the packagingof such articles singly, rather than in pairs as previously. Single-itempackages possess less bulk, and this has heretofore resulted in packageswhich either are not self sustaining or in which an insert component isincluded to achieve sufficient self-supporting rigidity. Neither type ofpackage has been satisfactory. Those not self supporting fail toadvantageously display the decorative features of the packaged article,as noted previously. This has also been true with respect to somepackages containing inserts, since the inserts have been used in such away as to cover a large portion of the article and thereby defeat theprimary purpose of their utilization. Placing the insert Within, ratherthan overlying, the article obviates the latter objection, but suchplacement and the insert itself necessarily increase package cost, whichcost is now a factor of critical importance due to the necessity for twopackages where previously one sufficed. Finally, the heretofore knownsingle-item packages have been of substantially smaller thickness thanthe prior type containing a pair of linen articles. Such smallerthickness packages have provided less end surface space for identifyingindicia although more space than ever is now necessary for this purpose,and additionally do not utilize to their greatest capacity the existingpackage storage and display facilities of which most retailers of linenarticles are now possessed.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to satisfy andreconcile the foregoing criteria and requirements by the provision of anovel display package for 3,087,605 Patented Apr. 30, 1963 linenarticles which is economical both in its construction and mode ofassembly and which, even when including but a single linen article, isself supporting in a variety of positions, is of a thicknessapproximating that of prior packages containing a pair of articles, andwhich permits a large area of the decorative surface of the packagedarticle to be readily viewed by prospective purchasers.

More specific objects are the provision of a linen display package inwhich the packaged article is folded to form a generally parallelepipedbundle having a desired relatively large thickness and having aninherent expensive tendency utilized to facilitate the economicalincorporation therewith of the remaining package components. It has beenfound that one way in which a bundle possessing the characteristicsdescribed can be attained is by making the final fold of the article inzig-zag fashion.

Still other objects and advantages will be in part evident and in partpointed out hereinafter in the following description of an illustrativeembodiment of the invention, which should be read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a front perspective viewof the package;

FIGURE 2 is a rear perspective view of the package;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-section along line 3-3 of FiGURE1 of the box-like retainer member and identifying label member of thepackage, the overwrapping material and linen bundle not being shown;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view on a reduced scale of the blank from which thebox-like retainer member is formed;

FIGURE 5- is a plan view on a reduced scale of the blank from which theidentifying label member is formed;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation showing in a slightly exaggerated mannerthe engagement between the top edge of the retainer member and the linenbundle received therein prior to incorporation with the transparentoverwrapping material;

FIGURE 7 is a side elevation of the package;

FIGURE 8 is a rear perspective view of the package, similar to FIGURE 2,but with components broken away to better show details of assembly andconstruction; and

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view showing a mode of folding a linen articleto form the linen bundle of the package.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the display packageidentified in its entirety in FIGURES 1, 2, 7 and 8 by the numeral 10includes generally a single linen article 11 folded to form a bundle 12of parallelepiped shape, an open-ended box-like retainer 14 receivingthe lower portion of bundle 12, an identifying label 16 overlying aportion of retainer .14, and transparent overwrapping material '18. The.thickness of package 10* approximates that of dual-item packagesheretofore known so as to afford optimum utilization of storagefacilities already possessed by most retailers of linen articles, and soas to impart a desirable rigidity to the package. Each of the surfacesof package 10 is substantially planar, rather than rounded, and thisconfiguration in conjunction with the aforementioned rigidity of thepackage permits all but the top thereof to be utilized as bases uponwhich package 10 can he stood in self-supporting fashion. It will beapparent that this capability enables package 10 to be utilized in awide variety of display arrangements, as contrasted to ordinary packageswhich cannot be stood upon end or edge due to their lacking therequisite thickness and rigidity, and is therefore highly desirable.

The relatively large thickness of package 10 and the generally planarconfiguration of its surfaces are attributable in part to the shape ofbundle 12, that is, to the folded shape of the linen article of thepackage. The nature of the folding operation by which bundle 12 isformed is also significant since it should desirably impart an inherentexpansive tendency, or resiliency, to the bundle. A method of achievingthese desired results is by making one of the folds, preferably theterminal fold, of bundle 12 of Zig-zag or accordian fashion. This isillustrated in FIGURE 9, in which a linen article 11 such as a sheet isshown in an already partially folded condition. The partially foldedcondition of article 11 can be achieved in any desired manner, butpreferably by folding the same lengthwise along successive medians, thenlaterally at a crease olfset approximately slightly from the center, andlastly by turning selv-age edges 13 of the article inwardly as shown.The terminal fold of Zig-zag fashion is then made in the direction ofthe two-headed arrows of FIGURE 9, with selvage edges 13 being securedbetween and parallel to adjacent creases. In the parallelepiped bundle12 thus produced, the zig-zag fold tends to straighten and thus expandthe bundle outwardly by forcing major faces 11 away from each other.Additionally, the plurality of creases which the zig-zag fold leaves atthe side faces of bundle 12 causes these side faces to possess a moreplanar configuration than would otherwise exist with only a singlelarger crease at each side. The interior location of selvage edges 13prohibits them from either disrupting the generally planar nature ofthese side faces of the bundle or distracting from its uniform, pleasingappearance.

The retainer 14 receiving bundle 12 may be formed from the blank 19shown in FIGURE 4, which blank may be constructed of any suitable rigidor semi-rigid material. Fifteen point bleach sulphate board has thenecessary strength and rigidity, and is also satisfactorily low inprice. Blank 19 has fold lines 15 defining panels 29, 21 whichconstitute side walls of the retainer member; panels 22, 23 constitutingfront and rear major walls thereof, respectively; and panel 24constituting the end wall thereof. Panels 20, 21 are provided withintegral tabs 25 and panels 23, 24 possess integral flaps 26, 28,respectively. The outer face of flap 26 has an adhesive coating, asshown. By shaping blank 19 along its fold lines 15 in a well-knownmanner with tabs 25 and flap 28 positioned inwardly of panel 24, andadhesively securing flap 26 to the inner face of panel 20 (see FIGURE3), the box-like retainer 14 can be easily and quickly formed.

The retainer thus formed receives bundle 12 with its end wall 24engaging an end face of the bundle, its major walls 22, 23 engagingmajor walls 11 of the bundle, and with its side walls 20, 21 engagingthe side faces of the bundle. The height of retainer 14 is preferablyonly approximately one-third the height of bundle 12. A considerableportion of the bundle therefore projects above and through the open topof the retainer, permitting the design or pattern upon the linen to bereadily viewed by prospective purchasers. This exposed design or patternsimultaneously identifies the contents and enhances the appearance ofpackage 10. To further increase the attractiveness of the package, theouter surface of retainer 14 may be provided with a decorative foillamination (not shown) or with embossed or printed designs or indicia,such as indicated by the numeral 29 in FIGURE 1.

Opposing the expansive tendency of bundle 12 is a primary function ofretainer 14, and to achieve this function the distance between majorwalls 22, 23 of the retainer is less than the thickness of bundle 12 inits maximum expanded condition. That is, the distance between majorwalls 22, 23 of the retainer is such that these walls not only engagethe adjacent major faces 11 of bundle 12, but additionally exert forcesthereon opposing expansion of the bundle by outward displacement of suchfaces under the impetus of the zigzag fold therebetween. The restrainingforces exerted by walls 22, 23 upon faces 11 of bundle 12 prevent anyportion of the bundle from expanding to its maximum possible extent.Prior to incorporation of overwrapping material 18 with package 10,however, that portion of bundle 12 projecting through and above the openend of retainer 14 is expanded outwardly further than that portionwithin the retainer as shown in slightly exaggerated fashion in FIGURE6. This condition is only temporary. As will be apparent from acomparison of FIGURES 6 and 7, overwrapping material 18 is subsequentlyplaced about the retainer and bundle in such a manner as to additionallyoppose the expansive tendency of bundle 12 and maintain the thickness ofthe projecting portion of the bundle approximately equal to thethickness of that portion within retainer 14, so that the bundle is ofsubstantially uniform thickness throughout its height and its majorfaces 11 are generally planar. Moreover, the temporary bulged conditionof the bundle illustrated in FIG- URE 6 has been found to be highlydesirable in at least one respect. The bulged faces 11 of bundle 12immediately adjacent the open end of the retainer cover or shield thegreater length of the edge 30 of such open end. Edge 30 is frequentlyrough or raw and this shielding thereof has been found to prevent itstearing or marring material 18 during the subsequent overwrappingoperation, as would otherwise likely occur.

Prior to the overwrapping operation, and preferably prior to placing thebundle in the retainer, an identifying label 16 is incorporated with theretainer in a novel and advantageous manner. Label 16 may be formed froma blank 32, shown in FIGURE 5, having fold lines 34 defining panels 36,38 and integral anchoring flaps 40, 42, respectively. Panels 36, 38 areof such a size that when label 16 is formed from the blank by foldingalong lines 34, panel 36 will overlie rear wall 23 of retainer 14 andpanel 38 will overlie end wall 24 thereof, as best shown in FIGURE 2.The panels are maintained in these respective positions upon walls ofretainer 14 by the opposing forces exerted by and between the retainerand bundle upon anchoring flaps 40, 42 of label 16. Thus, as best shownin FIGURES 3 and 8, anchoring fiap 40 extends from panel 36 through theopen end of retainer 14 to a position between rear wall 23 of theretainer and the adjacent face 11 of bundle 12, and is there subjectedto the heretofore discussed opposing forces between such wall and face.Similarly, anchoring flap 42 extends from panel 38 through the hingedclosed end of retainer 14 to a position between front wall 22 of theretainer and flap 28 thereof, and is there subjected to the opposingforces between wall 22 and the face 11 of bundle 12 adjacent to flap 28and that wall. This mode of incorporating label 16 with package 10 hasnumerous advantages, a primary one of which is that panels 36, 38 aresecurely maintained against accidental displacement from their positionsupon retainer 14. Additionally, attachment of the label can be effectedefiiciently and economically since no fastening materials or substances,such as glue, are required. It will also be noted that attachment oflabel 16 in the manner described further assists in shielding a portionof edge 30 of the open end of retainer 14, which shielding is highlydesirable as noted heretofore.

In its described position adjacent retainer 14, the primary function oflabel 16 is to carry pictorial matter or indicia, such as identified bythe numeral 44 in FIGURES 1 and 2, further identifying the contents ofpackage 10. The relatively large thickness of package 10 permits label16 to display its indicia 44 not only upon panel 36, but also upon panel38. The indicia is therefore capable of being viewed irrespective of theposition of the package, which will be recognized as a desirablecapability not possessed by many heretofore known single-item displaypackages due to their having too small a thickness to provide therequisite space upon their ends. Since the label performs no supportingfunction, the blank 32 from which it is formed is constructed ofmaterial considerably lighter in gauge than that of blank 19 of retainer14. Such lighter gauge material is, of course, less expensive and alsois considerably less costly to emboss or print than is heavier material,particularly when full color printing is employed. It is thereforecontemplated that pattern, style, type and size modifications of thevarious linen articles to be packaged be reflected only on the labels,as this can be done relatively inexpensively thereon, and that theretainers be of standardized appearance. Packagers of linen articlesneed therefore maintain a diversified supply of the relativelyinexpensive labels only, and their inventory of retainers can bemaintained at a minimal level. Having less of their capital invested ininventory results, of course, in additional savings to those packagersemploying the instant invention.

Further assurance that label 16 will not be accidentally displaced fromretainer 14 is provided by the final step in the formation of package10, that is, overwrapping with a suitable sheet material 18. Suchmaterial should, of course, be at least partially transparent so toleave visible the design or pattern of article 11 upon the projectingportion of bundle 12 and the indicia 44 upon label 16. It is alsodesirable that material 18 possess a soft feel, so as to be pleasing tothe touch as well as the eye of prospective purchasers; that it not dryout readily, so as to permit indefinite storage of the package ifnecessary; and that it resist stretching. The latter characteristic isnecessary since, as noted heretofore, material 18 serves not only toprotect the contents of package 10, but additionally opposes theexpansive tendency of bundle 12 so as to maintain major faces 11 thereofsubstantially planar (compare FIGURES 6 and 7). Various overwrappingmaterials possessing these desired characteristies are commerciallyavailable, as is machinery for performing the overwrapping operation, asthose skilled in the art are aware.

The final package is highly attractive, clearly displays its contents,bears the requisite identifying indicia, and is capable of being stoodin a variety of positions even though containing only a single linenarticle. Its components are few in number, of inexpensive standardizedconstruction, and adapted to be placed in association with each otherwith facility, all of which make the package economical to utilize. Itwill therefore be seen that the instant invention provides a displaypackage achieving the various objects heretofore set forth along withmany practical advantages.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set for a preferredembodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not forpurposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in theclaims.

That which is claimed is:

1. A linen display package comprising a linen article folded upon itselfat least partially in zig-zag fashion to form a parallelepiped bundle,said zig-zag fold extending between a pair of opposed faces of saidbundle and tending to expand said bundle by forcing said faces outwardlyaway from each other; a box-like retainer member having an open end anda pair of spaced apart opposed walls, said bundle extending within saidretainer member through said open end with said walls exerting a forceupon said faces of said bundle opposing the expansive force thereof; anidentifying label member having a panel overlying an outer surfaceportion of said retainer member and an anchoring flap integral with saidpanel, said flap extending within said retainer member and securedbetween one of said walls thereof and the adjacent face of said bundleby the opposing forces therebetween; and overwrapping material closelysurrounding said bundle and members and further opposing the expansiveforce of said bundle.

2. A linen display package comprising a linen article folded upon itselfto form a parallelepiped bundle, one of said folds being of zig-zagfashion and interconnecting a pair of opposed faces of said bundle, saidzig-zag fold tending to expand said bundle by forcing said facesoutwardly away from each other; a box-like retainer member having anopen end and a pair of spaced apart opposed walls, said bundle extendingwithin said retainer member through said open end with said wallsengaging said faces of said bundle and exerting a force upon said facesopposing the expansive force of said bundle; an identifying label memberhaving a panel lying upon an outer surface portion of one of said wallsof said retainer member and an anchoring flap hingedly connected to saidpanel, said flap extending through said open end of said retainer memberand secured between said one wall thereof and the adjacent face of saidbundle by the opposing forces therebetween; and transparent overwrappingmaterial surrounding said bundle and members and further opposing theexpansive force of said bundle.

3. A linen display package as in claim 2, wherein approximatelyone-third of said bundle is received within said retainer member andapproximately two-thirds of said bundle projects therefrom.

4. A linen display package comprising a linen article folded upon itselfa plurality of times to form a parallelepiped bundle having pairs ofopposed major, side and end faces, the terminal fold being zig-zagfashion and interconnecting said major faces, said zig-zag fold tendingto expand said bundle by forcing said major faces outwardly aWay fromeach other; a semi-rigid box-like retainer member having a pair ofopposed major walls, a pair of opposed side walls, a hinged closed endwall and an open end opposite said end wall; said bundle being receivedwithin said retainer member with one of said end faces of said bundleengaging said end wall of said retainer member and with said major wallsof said retainer member engaging said major faces of said bundle, theheight of said bundle relative to the height of said retainer memberbeing such that said bundle projects through and beyond said open end ofsaid retainer mem ber, the thickness of said bundle relative to thedistance between said major walls of said retainer member being suchthat said major walls of said retainer member exert a force upon saidmajor faces of said bundle opposing the expansive force thereof; anidentifying label member having a pair of hingedly connected panels andanchoring flaps integral with said panels, one of said panels of saidlabel member lying upon an outer surface portion of one of said majorwalls of said retainer member, the other of said panels lying upon anouter surface portion of said end wall of said retainer member, saidanchoring flap integral with said one panel extending therefrom throughsaid open end of said retainer member and between said one of said majorwalls of said retainer member and the major face of said bundle adjacentthereto, said anchoring flap integral with said other of said panelsextending within said retainer member by said hinged closed end Wall anddisposed between the other of said major Walls of said retainer memberand the major face of said bundle adjacent thereto, said anchoring flapsbeing secured between said major walls of said retainer member and saidmajor faces of said bundle by the opposing forces therebetween andthereby maintaining said panels of said label member againstdisplacement from said outer surface portions of said retainer member;and transparent overwrapping material closely surrounding said bundleand members, said material exerting a force assisting said retainermember in opposing the expansive tendency of said bundle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS933,004 Stingily Aug. 31, 1900 1,860,812 Marshall May 31, 1932 1,906,722Rosenberg May 2, 1933

1. A LINEN DISPLAY PACKAGE COMPRISING A LINEN ARTICLE FOLDED UPON ITSELFAT LEAST PARTIALLY IN ZIG-ZAG FASHION TO FORM A PARALLELEPIPED BUNDLE,SAID ZIG-ZAG FOLD EXTENDING BETWEEN A PAIR OF OPPOSED FACES OF SAIDBUNDLE AND TENDING TO EXPAND SAID BUNDLE BY FORCING SAID FACES OUTWARDLYAWAY FROM EACH OTHER; A BOX-LIKE RETAINER MEMBER HAVING AN OPEN END ANDA PAIR OF SPACED APART OPPOSED WALLS, SAID BUNDLE EXTENDING WITHIN SAIDRETAINER MEMBER THROUGH SAID OPEN END WITH SAID WALLS EXERTING A FORCEUPON SAID FACES OF SAID BUNDLE OPPOSING THE EXPANSIVE FORCE THEREOF; ANIDENTIFYING LABEL MEMBER HAVING A PANEL OVERLYING AN OUTER SURFACEPORTION OF SAID RETAINER MEMBER AND AN ANCHORING FLAP INTEGRAL WITH SAIDPANEL, SAID FLAP EXTENDING WITHIN SAID RETAINER MEMBER AND SECUREDBETWEEN ONE OF SAID WALLS THEREOF AND THE ADJACENT FACE OF